Erin @readingwithwrin

readingwitherin's January 2026, wrap-up. Books completed: 7 Pages read: 2,234 Hours listened: 26.9 Average rating: 3.7 Highest Rated books: With Love From Harelm, Keep Your Friends Close, and Pride & Prejudice. below this is a chart showing pages read or minutes listened each day.

readingwitherin's January 2026 reads Tales From the Pizza Plex 3 stars Keep Your Friends Close 4.5 stars Heated Rivalry 3 stars Pride and Prejudice 3 stars With Love From Harlem 5 stars Game Changers unrated (ran out of time to review this one) Careless people Unrated (I don't rate non-fiction anymore)

Calendar showing everything I read this month. Each day has pages read or minutes listened to, as well as what book I finished on that day.

January 2026 reading wrap-up!
#booksky

Book photo of Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy. The book cover is on a kindle, kindle is lying on a blanket surrounded by fake blue snowflakes.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! So many turns and surprises that will keep you guessing the entire time, because every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Keep Your Friends Close follows Chloe Roberts in 1999 as she goes back to a boarding school that is supposed to help her get farther in life. The school is full of secret societies of Jewel and Bone, backstabbing, and secrets galore. Chloe's world was turned upside down at the end of the previous semester when she was not chosen to be head girl for her grade. Meaning that all of her plans and hope for her final year are dashed, and instead she is left vying for sponsors with her fellow students, and is stuck sharing a room with two other people that she doesn't know instead of having her own room. Not to mention her ex-bestfriend is trying to ruin her life in multiple different ways. As the story unfolds we see Chloe lose people that she is close with in more gruesome ways each time, and someone seems to be out to get Chloe and we have no real idea why or how she can stop it before her own life is hanging in the balance. Overall this book is good and quick-paced. It can be a little confusing at times as we do have several different side characters that flit in and out throughout the story. Like I said at the start of this review, I was on the edge of my seat, especially in the last two chapters as we started to finally see who it was, and why they were doing it. I was truly shocked by all of it, and I cannot believe that ending at all, but yet I can at the same time. I know it's contradictory, but when you read it, you'll understand what I'm saying. I am interested in reading more by this author, especially since it seems that some of the books may be connected (I could be wrong about this). This book is good for anyone who wants a dash of history (yes it does hurt me to say that 1999 would be considered history), with their mystery/thriller reads.

Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy | 90s boarding school mystery. #booksky

With Love From Harlem by ReShonda Tate book cover on a blanket with snowflakes surrounding it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc. I had heard about Hazel Scott before this book but knew nothing of her personal life. The book follows Hazel's music career, acting, activism, and her marriage to Preacher and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr.. Throughout this book I learned so much not only about Hazel, but about the music world, and how hard they were all working to change things within different institutions to integrate and create equal chances for all. Hazel and Adams' work together was so good, but their marriage was not a happy one, and one that at times had me wondering, if maybe they had just stayed acquaintances, they could have each accomplished so much more in their careers and activism. Overall I highly recommend this book. This is going to be a five-star read for me because I could not put this book down! I needed to know what was going to happen next in Hazel's life. I loved seeing James Baldwin, Billie Holiday, and so many more famous singers, and how they crossed paths throughout each of their careers and friendships. Throughout this book, you could tell how much ReShonda Tate loved these characters and the real people as well. She told an amazing story of a real-life person in a way that will be entertaining and exciting, while also breaking your heart at times. I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future, and to learn more about Ms. Hazel Scott.

Happy release week to With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate! #booksky

It alerts you of movement and lets you check in real-time. I know they have indoor cameras as well; they call them baby/pet monitors.

ZUMIMALL - Get Smarter about your Home Security ZUMIMALL, a prominent American camera brand, specializes in providing an extensive range of advanced security solutions. Their offerings encompass a wide array of wireless security cameras, including ...

For outdoor cameras, we use Zumimall. It's a Chinese company but doesn't appear to have any connection to Amazon or Google. www.zumimall.com

Which sounds much more manageable, honestly.

I love this idea! If only I could stick to a tbr lol

Bookish Goals for 2026 Read 100+ Books 26 Non-Fiction Reads 6 Modern Classics / Classics Post 2 Times A Week At Least Read More Of What I Own & Read More Backlist ARCs @readingwithwrin

Bookish Goals For 2026
Read 100+ Books
26 Non-Fiction Reads
6 Modern Classics / Classics
Post 2 Times A Week At Least
Read More of What I Own & Read More Backlist ARCs
#booksky

LIBRARIES WIN IN COURT. Federal court issues permanent injunction in Rhode Island V. Trump, stops the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The court ruled that all actions taken by the Administration to dismantle IMLS are nullified. This injunction takes immediate nationwide effect: all grants, in every state and territory. The Administration is stopped from taking these actions again in the future. Show up for our libraries, American Library Association.

NEWS: Libraries WIN in federal court!

A judge in RI issued a permanent injunction stopping the Administration from dismantling the Institute of Museum & Library Services and nullifying all actions taken to do so.

Read the ruling: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... (More to come from ALA)

Leaf background with pumpkin and candle next to book cover. Book is The Balld of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I still don't like Pres. Snow at all, but I did like getting a little backstory of how the Hunger Games came to be and how he got to be in charge. This story is one that is not only about how the circumstances in someone's life shape them, and if just one little thing had been different or happened later, they could have been a different person. In this one, we see how controlling Snow is and how he wants/needs to be in charge in order to feel safe. This I believe made him into the person he is in the original trilogy, and how it ended up becoming the games we saw in order for him to have control over as much as humanly possible. Seeing the Covey and how they connected to the original series and how maybe just maybe Katniss is a descendant of the family, and that is why Snow was so fascinated and a little scared of her. Overall I did find myself enjoying this book, weirdly enough, because of how we see things fall into place, and it gave insight into the world and series as a whole.

Book review for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.
#booksky #bookreview #thehungergames

NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.

Sadly I barely read anything this weekend. So instead, this will be my week's reading goals.

Reading goals for the weekend of ARC's I want to finish
The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling (51%)
Cloud Warriors by Thomas Weber (38%)
Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow by Victoria Walters (23%)
If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry (8%)
Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy (53%)
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Book Crown of Moonlight by Martina Boone on top of kindle, on a bed of red/burgundy leaves.

Thank you to the author for a e-book in exchange for my honest review. Flora is being pressured to marry the highland lords in her surrounding area to protect her clan after the death of her father and older brothers. She is told that that is the only way she can protect her people, yet she does not want to marry any of them. In fact, it appears that she loathes most of them because of how they treated her when they were children. So when she finds Chyr, who is an Ever that is dying and is one of the rebel king's soldier. She chooses to try and save him, even though if she is caught, they will all perish. While nursing him back to health, she learns more about why Chyr and his fellow soldier were in the area, and ends up discovering a lot about herself as well as they try and get Chyr back to safety and have any chance at all to stop the Queen, who is on a war path to control everyone and everything. They have one shot at this, and that one shot is all based on Flora in the end, as they discover she has more power than they ever thought possible. Overall, this story is so good! We have a strong heroine in Flora who is caring and lovable, while also being powerful and standing her ground on what she believes in. With Chyr, you see a warrior who is bound to an oath that he was far too young to understand when he took it, resulting in him dealing with internal battles, as well as physical ones, throughout this book as they try to get to another realm to have any chance at defeating the evil Queen and protecting Flora's people. This book kept me on my toes, and I was not expecting Flora to end up being who she was, but I loved it! Nobody sets up cliffhangers better than Boone, and she has done it again with this series. I cannot wait to read the next book, and I need answers on what exactly Flora did and what type of impact this is going to have on everyone.

Book Review: Crown of Moonlight by Martina Boone
readingwithwrin.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/t...
#booksky

Book cover for Lincoln’s ghost by Brad Ricca

Book description for Lincoln’s ghost by Brad Ricca

Book mail! Lincoln’s Ghost by Brad Ricca. Just in time for Non-Fiction November. Thank you @stmartinspress.bsky.social #bookmail #lincolnsghost

Would this help for Missouri: foodsecurity.missouri.edu/wp-content/u...

🚨Resources 🚨a thread I’ll be updating a lot. 🧵🧵🧵

Verizon Wireless will work with furloughed federal employees to either split your payment or move the due date forward 30 days if you call them.

Book cover for Lost on Doll Island by Cassandra Ramos-Gomez on top of a pile of fake burgundy and golden leaves.

This was an anticipated middle grade novel for me and it did not disappoint! It was everything I hoped it would be and more. The perfect mix of spooky and history together. This book has everything from brujaria, hechezios, Aztec talismans and of course creepy dolls. Diego has recently moved to Mexico to live with his aunt and uncle while his parents are getting a divorce. While he doesn't love this, he is getting used to it, and has started to make friends. His new friends Itzel and Jandro who are kind of the outcasts it seems at times, but are truly some great friends as we learn throughout the book. "I am just happy to have them both here with me for this part of my life, my new friends and me, the three amigos." Diego's journey to doll island is one that is a little different, it involves dreams, friends coming up with a plan, and lots of secrecy. Diego was told by a woman in a shop that there were two dolls islands, the fake one that all the tourists go to, and the real one that has a secret doll hidden somewhere that will provide Diego with his wish. So somehow Diego convinces his friends that they need to go to the real doll island to find this doll. Once on the island though things get creepy and mysterious. The three friends start looking around the entire island for the doll and along the way have several near death experiences and really learn what friendship is all about, with a side of Brujaria, talisman, and hechezios. Overeall I loved this story. It was such a quick read for me and just what I needed after a long week. It was just the right amount of creepiness, and fit the age category perfectly. Highly recommend this one for all middle schoolers who like spooky reads!

Book Review: Lost on Doll Island by Cassandra Ramos-Gomez
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the e-arc. #booksky

Submit a Comment to Protect Voting Rights Conservative activists have found a backdoor way to implement the SAVE Act and disenfranchise millions of Americans. Submit a comment to the EAC and urge them to reject this petition to change voting ...

Trump & Republicans are quietly trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans. Submit a comment to the EAC to stop their scheme and protect voting rights: act.standupamerica.com/letters/eac-...

Banned Books: Author Ashley Hope Pérez on finding humanity in the 'darkness' Ashley Hope Pérez published Out of Darkness in 2015 to critical acclaim. The novel re-contextualized contemporary issues of race providing a historical framework in a not-so-post-racial America.

NPR article from 2022: www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1...

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez | Book Review Title: Out of Darkness Author: Ashley Hope Perez Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab TM Published Date: September 1st, 2015 Genre: Historical Fiction, YA, Realistic Fiction Source: Library Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5…

My Review: readingwithwrin.wordpress.com/2021/10/29/o...

A banned book that I don't see being talked about a lot this year:
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Sanchez
Reason it was banned: Sexual Assault, Racism.
Banned in Texas
📚💙

Dear Alex, We are writing to share an important update coming to Ebook Central that will help improve ebook discoverability. At the end of October 2025, Ebook Central Express MARC records will include AI-generated metadata when publisher metadata fields are not available. Why are we introducing AI-generated metadata to Ebook Central records? Most publishers include subject information in their metadata, but there are times when this information is not included, leading to limited search availability in discovery systems. For this reason, we are providing AI-generated Library of Congress subject headings only when not available from the publisher to improve the completeness of our metadata and discoverability of Ebook Central titles.  

Which AI-generated fields are included in Express MARC?  The AI-generated fields will include Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) (6XX); Library of Congress Classification (050); Dewey Decimal (082); Description (520); and Source of Description (588). To learn more, please visit our FAQ page.

What the shit, Clarivate! Anyone using Ebook Central MARC records, be warned. They're jamming those records with AI generated metadata. Auto-enabled but you can disable it.

Wild Faith by Talia Lavin (Non-fiction),
Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy (YA Mystery),
and The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Middle Grade Folklore)

BANNED BOOKS WEEK Oct. 5-11, 2025. Censorship is so 1984 - Read for Your Rights. ala.org/bbooks. American Library Association

Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights.

Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek, and this year's theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.

https://www.ala.org/bbooks.

Five days into October and I've managed to finish three books! #booksky

a man with a pumpkin on his head is standing in a cemetery Alt: a man with a pumpkin on his head is standing in a cemetery dancing

Happy first day of October! Bring on all the spooky reads

Joy To The Girls by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick | ARC Romance Book Review Title: Joy to the Girls Authors: Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Published Date: September 30th, 2025 Genre: Romance, Teens, LGBTQIA+…

Happy release day to Joy to the Girls by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick!
readingwithwrin.wordpress.com/2025/09/19/j...

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Finding Mr. Purrfect by Codi Gary | Romance Book Review Title: Finding Mr. Purrfect Author: Codi Gary Publisher: Forever Published Date: January 16th, 2024 Genre: Romance Source: Library Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ Goodreads Summary: Full of cats, coffee, and charm…

Finding Mr. Purrfect by Codi Gary | Romance Book Review
readingwithwrin.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/f...
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A Well Trained Wife by Tia Levings | Non-Fiction Book Review Title: A Well Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy Author: Tia Levings Publisher: St. Martins Press Published Date: August 6th, 2024 Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoirs Source: Kindle Unlimite…

I finished my first book of the week! #booksky
A Well Trained Wife by Tia Levings | Non-Fiction Book Review
readingwithwrin.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/a...
📚💡